Adopting the electronic Readmission Case Management System: Azerbaijan passes its experience to Côte d'Ivoire

The electronic Readmission Case Management System (“eRCMS” or “the System”) developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and being deployed in Azerbaijan jointly with the State Migration Service (SMS) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is attracting attention internationally. Various countries are considering the introduction of eRCMS to optimize readmission management with the European Union (EU) member states and are willing to learn from the pioneering case of Azerbaijan.

Thus, on 10-11 August 2023, a delegation from the Government of Côte d'Ivoire visited Baku. The guests planned to observe finalized eRCMS and best practices related to its deployment accumulated by their Azerbaijani counterparts in the course of implementation of the EU-funded “Strengthening Readmission Management in Azerbaijan” project.

Representatives of the Ivorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and Security working in the area of migration and readmission management, identity and civil registration, IT project and data administration had a series of meetings with the officials from the Azerbaijani SMS and MFA. The topics of the discussion ranged from development, customization, and deployment of eRCMS to the project planning and implementation in broader terms. The hosts shared with the representatives of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire their knowledge and first-hand experience accrued in the process of the System’s conceptualization, design, and installation, all this in context of the readmission regulatory framework and trends in Azerbaijan. The meetings were supplemented with a demonstration of the eRCMS functionality.

Mr Vahid Gahramanov, Head of the Migration Policy and Legal Support Main Department leading the SMS delegation explained the rationale behind adopting eRCMS. While the System is expected to make readmission management more efficient it will also fit perfectly in the mainstream strategy of the Government of Azerbaijan aimed at the overall digitalization and paperless governance.

Mr Ziya Fataliyev, Head of the Citizenship Issues Unit at the MFA Consular Department emphasized importance of preparatory activities such as assessment of the existing regulatory framework, working processes, practices, capacities, and infrastructure related to readmission management. Considering that Côte d'Ivoire is currently at the beginning of the path towards introducing eRCMS, Mr Fataliyev shared practical advice stemming from his close participation in the mapping exercise in the early stages of the eRCMS development in Azerbaijan.

Ms Minata Dieket Nee Sanganoko, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Côte d'Ivoire and a senior member of the delegation reiterated that Azerbaijan's experience in the field of readmission management including establishment of eRCMS is of special interest to her country.

As the eRCMS familiarization visit of the Ivorian delegation to Azerbaijan proved to bring added value, IOM Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani Government partners agreed to continue organizing such visits for the benefit of other countries planning to introduce eRCMS.

The “Strengthening Readmission Management in Azerbaijan” project funded by the European Union via the EURCAP Facility and implemented by IOM Azerbaijan together with the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan aims to enhance readmission management in Azerbaijan particularly through introduction and operationalization of an electronic Readmission Case Management System (eRCMS) that will optimize processing of readmission cases between Azerbaijan and the European Union member states.

In Côte d’Ivoire a project titled “Introducing the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to Electronic Readmission Case Management” is also being implemented under the EURCAP Facility.